Underbelly makes strong debut
14Feb08

Source: John Davidson, Adnews

Despite being hit by ban in Victoria and ambush marketing from other networks, Nine’s new flagship program Underbelly made a strong debut last night (13 February).

In the four major markets minus Melbourne, Underbelly, based on Melbourne’s gangland war, recorded an average audience of 1.325 million viewers across the two-hour, 8.30pm to 10.30pm timeslot.

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Ballgames and fancy footwork top ratings
14Feb08

Source: Amanda Meade, The Australian

SEVEN
was the clear winner in the summer ratings race. The network won seven
of the 10 unofficial ratings weeks that ended on Saturday.

The
Australian Open men’s final tennis on Seven was the most watched
program, with an average audience of 2.447 million. Nine’s Australia v
India Twenty20 cricket match was of less interest with an audience of
2.077 million

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Life too short for daybreak special
14Feb08

By Ray Martin, The Australian   

YOU’VE gotta love your mates in the media. Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good headline, such as "Martin storms out".

If
you can’t get a proper quote, go for those reliable "unnamed sources".
If there’s no photo for the front page, drag a 20-year-old snapshot out
of the Fairfax picture archives. (When I had legs.)

You gotta laugh. So, in my movement at the station, let’s separate fact from fiction.

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No pain for viewers as strike ends
14Feb08

Michael Bodey
| February 14, 2008

AUSTRALIAN
television viewers have been spared serious disruption to this year’s
schedule with the resolution of the Writers Guild of America strike.

After
a 100-day lockdown of Hollywood, guild members yesterday voted to
accept a new agreement that supplied a number of improvements,
including a 2per cent to 3 per cent payment of gross receipts for work
that is streamed live on the internet (albeit after a window of 17 to
24 days)

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Lost fans reunite in drama online
14Feb08

Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian

BRISBANE-based
digital entertainment company Hoodlum has created the world’s largest
online television drama to promote the fourth season of the hit Seven
Network program Lost, created by US television network ABC.

The
US network is understood to have spent up to $3 million to fund the
online drama and global viral advertising campaign called Find 815,
which stars Australian actors Rodger Corser, who appears in Nine’s
gangland drama Underbelly, and Aden Young.

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TV marathon for gang trial lawyers
12Feb08

Source: Milanda Rout, The Australian

THE
premiere of gangland drama Underbelly in Victoria tomorrow night hangs
in the balance, with a Supreme Court judge to decide whether the series
goes to air just 36 hours before its scheduled screening.

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Ten snares Indian Twenty20
12Feb08

Source: John Davidson, Adnews

SYDNEY: Network Ten has pulled off another sporting coup, beating the Nine Network and Fox Sports for the exclusive rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In a five-year deal, tipped to have cost between $10 million to $20 million, Ten has secured the rights to the new Twenty20 cricket competition which will feature the best cricket players from around the world.

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Tough times for ad agencies
11Feb08

Suddenly the once crowded Hunter advertising ranks are looking decidedly thinner, with another Newcastle advertising agency closing shop. The Boutique Agency was a partnership between well-known media identity Deb Austin and Tim Neve. The agency ran for 5 years before shutting its doors at the end of January 2008.

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Writers strike ends; workers to vote on deal
11Feb08

Source: Media Spy, AP

Leaders
of Hollywood’s screenwriters union had endorsed a deal to end the
entertainment industry’s bitter three-month long strike, union
officials said today.

Writers Guild of America board members in New York
and Los Angeles approved the new contract after meeting today and will
now hold a vote of the union’s members early next week to approve the
decision.

With widespread support for the agreement, writers are expected to
be back at their keyboards by Thursday, bringing to a close the most
serious labour dispute to hit the US entertainment industry in decades.

Writers went on strike on November 5, forcing the postponement or
cancellation of several popular television shows and movies, and
causing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.


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2008 Newcastle TV Ratings Forecast
8Feb08

The summer silly season grinds to a halt this weekend as the formal TV ratings system kicks back into gear for 2008. And what an intriguing year it promises to be in the Hunter ratings race, with plenty of anticipation and uncertainty.

2007 ended with NBN winning every ratings week, but looking nervously over their shoulders as Prime came within a whisker of taking their first ever non-Olympics winning weeks. While NBN claimed the mantle of ratings winners, it seemed Prime were a lot happier, having stitched up the 25-54 audience against NBN’s aging viewers. SC Ten finished the year a little stronger and performed well in their target audience of 16-39 years. It set up an eagerly awaited battle for 2008.

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